I am a therapist who helps Religious abuse survivors recover and heal. I come from a therapy viewpoint and help you as you deconstruct from trauma, abuse, gaslighting, and abusive leadership. I have a book, an online course, a card deck of questions to help you tell your story and other resources.
Spiritual abuse involves coercion, control, or exploitation by another person in a spiritual context. It can come from a faith leader or a partner who uses spiritual or religious beliefs or doctrine to exert power over you. Spiritual abuse can involve verbal, emotional, and/or physical violence.
Whenever you meet someone who's encountered spiritual abuse in the church, tread carefully. Here are a few things not to say to someone the church has wounded.
Every spiritual abuser has these five lies in common, and the effect is devastating on the faith of their victims.
Can you recognize spiritual abuse in the church? Often, you don’t realize you’re in a situation until your health is damaged, your soul is torn or your outside relationships suffer.
Below is a portion of the content of Chris Lawson’s booklet, How to Know if You Are Being Spiritually Abused or Deceived—A Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire. The full booklet has 101 questions. To order copies of the booklet, click here. How to Know if You Are Being Spiritually Abused or Deceived—A Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire By Chris ... [Read more...]
Every spiritual abuser has these five lies in common, and the effect is devastating on the faith of their victims.
Four years ago, the co-lead pastors of my church at the time were asked to resign because of spiritual abuse. That church had become my family, my community, my home. The news was shocking, but I was also deeply grateful the dysfunction was finally being named. While I am still unpacking the realities and consequences
What is starlighting and why is it called gaslighting's spiritual cousin? Here's what you need about this toxic and abusive tactic that involves spirituality.
Here are six bright red warning signs of a bad pastor. We must be aware of these because few things sully Jesus' name and cause Christians to become disillusioned than an abusive spiritual leader.
A spiritual narcissist can sneak up on you in unexpected ways. Make sure the Bible study leader or the pastor you admire is worthy of that admiration.
Emotional abuse isn't something we can see. It would be obvious someone is hurting us if they always left bruises, but when our emotions are bruised, it can be confusing to identify abuse. It's a, "If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around, does it make a sound?” situation. Know t
When someone is being spiritually manipulative, they often focus on the vulnerabilities of a person or group of people. They may even use the Bible for personal, not kingdom, benefit. Spiritual manipulation can even morph into spiritual abuse.
Domestic violence and mental health bring to light the damaging consequences of abusive relationships on an individual's psychological well-being.
Abuse is not always straightforward and in-your-face, however, quiet verbal abuse can have the same impact on your psych nevertheless, maybe even more.
A spiritual narcissist can sneak up on you in unexpected ways. Make sure the Bible study leader or the pastor you admire is worthy of that admiration.
Turns out the Bible has a lot to say about narcissism even though the term is ancient Greek in its origin. Perhaps we should keep these verses in mind.
